Description

Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) has been running a long-term, coordinated cyber campaign using multiple hacker personas that were initially believed to be independent hacktivist groups. These identities—Homeland Justice, Karma (later KarmaBelow80), and Handala—have now been confirmed by researchers, including DomainTools, to be part of a single state-directed operation. The campaign combines cyber intrusions, data theft, destructive attacks, and influence operations into a unified strategy targeting governments and organizations across several countries. It first gained attention in 2022 when Homeland Justice conducted attacks against Albania, after maintaining covert access to government systems for over a year. This access enabled the theft of sensitive data, deployment of destructive malware, and carefully timed public disclosures designed to amplify geopolitical impact. As the operation evolved, the same threat actors rebranded under Karma and KarmaBelow80, shifting focus toward Israeli targets in late 2023. Despite the change in identity, analysts observed consistent tools, infrastructure, and techniques, including shared domains and the use of Telegram for coordination. By 2024 through 2026, the campaign adopted the Handala persona, emphasizing psychological operations such as curated data leaks and targeted harassment. In response, the United States Department of Justice seized multiple domains linked to these activities in March 2026. Security researchers track this broader operation as “Void Manticore,” also referred to as MOIST GRASSHOPPER, directly linking it to Iran’s MOIS. A defining feature of this campaign is its multi-persona structure, which enables distinct operational roles while maintaining a shared backend infrastructure. Homeland Justice focused on destructive attacks, Karma targeted Israeli organizations, and Handala now leads influence operations. The group employs tactics such as wiper malware, ransomware-like disruption without financial motive, and tools like Rhadamanthys alongside phishing campaigns. To mitigate risk, organizations are advised to secure internet-facing systems like Microsoft SharePoint, enforce network segmentation, monitor privileged access, and block known malicious domains associated with this campaign.